Not just about screeching tires

And thank goodness for that. Starsky and Hutch could've been like every
other cop show out there, all about fists and bad guys, tough street talk
and that car, but it wasn't. What makes Starsky and Hutch unique among cop
shows, even today, was the relationship between the two partners. I know
that isn't and wasn't everyone's cup of tea, and there are a lot of people
who malign the show for the alleged homosexual overtones, but it was the
friendship that has drawn me back over all these years. What Starsky and
Hutch had was a relationship that spanned all situations...from the crises
(The Fix, Shootout, A Coffin for Starsky, et al.) to the everyday humor
and
good-natured bantering that showed how their closeness and enjoyment of
one
another. Call me sentimental, but the clothes, the car, the talk, all are
somewhat laughable today...but a friendship like that is rare, as well as
special, and never goes out of style.

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23 out of 25 people found the following review useful:

Simply the best, better than all the rest!

How can I begin to describe one of the best buddy/cop shows on the air
in the Seventies? I looked forward to each episode and hated it when I
had to miss it for some reason. The chemistry between David Soul and
Paul M. Glaser was superb, with each man giving to his character that
special something that can't be duplicated. The blond and the cute, the
dark and the handsome, one a thinker, the other a doer, one quiet, one
a little bit loud, but both very appealing....Did their best work in a
red and white Torino. The show was at it's best when the powers that be
let them do their own thing, at it's worst when it tried to comply with
those who wanted it to be something it was not...it was not a show
about social workers. It was a show about two cops and two men who
cared about each other. It was at its greatest when it found the humor
of life after all the chaos of the evenings episode. It was and is
truly one of its kind. I loved it and cherish it as one of my favorite
childhood shows. Thank you Paul and David!!

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22 out of 28 people found the following review useful:

One of the top 3 TV shows.

Along with "All in the Family" and "Seinfeld", "Starsky & Hutch" was
among the best shows ever on the air. From 1975-1979 I had only missed
the last episode because it had been moved from 9 to 10 pm, one hour
past my curfew. I did however throw a tantrum and in the morning was
given my first lesson on repairing drywall. Unfortunately in my anger,
I had thrown the Gran Torino model I had made through the wall. Now 29
years later, I find myself forgetting phone numbers and names...but for
some strange reason, I never forgot the S&H plate number,
537-ONN...SCARY. I was so happy to hear about the movie, but when I
found out that they were replaced by Wilson and Stiller, I was sick.
That is moronic. However, nothing was as moronic as the film. I read
that Glaser & Soul had a 5 minute cameo...but I suppose for those who
liked the movie and thought it was funny, they may be too young to tell
time. The cameo didn't last more than a minute and it was all
unlaughable comedy. The original TV show was a mixture with actors who
actually have talent and chemistry. Stick to the original and don't
waste a dime on renting the movie. Get the DVD collection. I have it
and it is amazing. There is also a Starsky and Hutch game for
9.99-19.99. It is so much fun, and it has the original huggy's voice
for the narrator, Antonio Fargas. I hope that one day before long, I
will turn on the TV and David Soul will get his wish, Starsky & Hutch
will once again ride the TV airwaves for a final tribute.

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17 out of 22 people found the following review useful:

The best Starsky and Hutch was......

First I want to make clear that I have nothing against Stiller or
Phillips but no way did they pull off Starsky and Hutch.Two of the
sexiest men on t.v. in the 70's! Paul Michael Glaser and David Soul had
a aura about them that no one has ever come close to. I loved the
episodes where David Soul was allowed to sing. Melt your heart away!!!
And Paul Michael Glaser was always there beside his friend and partner.
A true friend indeed!! Yes, it was only a television show but that kind
of connection is rare. The two men knew how to make the script work and
put a bit of themselves in it. Some of what we watched every week was
them not Starsky or Hutch but Paul and David. I was 10 when the show
first aired but it was the only show my dad would allow me to break my
bed time curfew and watch. When it went off the air I cried. I can
remember every show like it was yesterday. Two of my favorite episodes
were "Kill Starsky" where Starsky almost died. I cried so hard that my
dad had to turn away from the program, Silly huh!! And the other was
"Ice storm" where Hutch is juiced up because he would tell a drug lord
where a girl was. I was so angry I am yelling at the screen. " You
better watch out Starsky is gonna kick your butt if you hurt Hutch!!"
My dad thought I was nuts!!!I used to have the biggest crush on David
Soul and Paul Michael Glaser. I still find them very handsome. Now that
the series is on DVD through Netflix and Blockbuster online, I have
rented them 6 times and now my sons are fans. I miss the show
tremendously. The cameo that Paul and David got in the 2004 film was an
insult I thought, because it was those two men who paved the way for
Stiller and Phillips to get their shot at it. I wish both David Soul
and Paul Michael Glaser all the best because they earned it. Paul, I am
deeply sorry for the loss of your wife and daughter and wish you all
the best. They didn't die in vain! The work Elizabeth did for aids
research is an awesome thing and she has saved many people because of
it. I know March 25th was your birthday and I hope it was a happy and
healthy one. God Bless You!!! David, I hope you are in good health and
don't stop singing. I loved to listen to you sing on the show and hope
you have gotten everything you wanted out of life. April Smith

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12 out of 15 people found the following review useful:

Season 5: Shoulda, Woulda, Coulda!!!

As a second-generation fan I discovered this TV Gem from repeats in the
mid-nineties. I've just finished watched the final series and you can't
help but think that a fifth season would have rounded it off rather
nicely, 'Sweet Revenge' intentionally leaves the door wide open for the
fifth series but with it's cancellation we'll never know what becomes
of our favourite duo; does Starsky return to work? do they quit, get
their happy ending in the shape of happy love affairs that's not doomed
for once - what?!

The dynamic of Paul Michael Glaser and David Soul as the loyal,
live-wired cops has hardly ever been equalled: Glaser brings passion
and humour - not to mention the sexy strut and a smile to die for -
into Dave Starsky. While David Soul brings humility and quiet strength
into Ken Hutchinson, together they really are quite something. Then you
have the coolest sidekick on '70's TV Huggy Bear played by Antonio
Fargas though acquiring odd clothes he usually hogged the best lines!
The second and third season is really when Starsky & Hutch is at it's
finest: whether it goofing around in Las Vegas or on an exotic island,
the stories are gripping in one minute then sensitive and serious in
the next. My particular favourites are 'Murder on Playboy Island',
Starsky's Lady, 'A Body worth Guarding', 'Murder at Sea' and 'Gillian'

First Season is slow but has some memorable episodes, the fourth is
very gritty, realist and uneven at times. Showcasing the actors'
restlessness. But episodes like Targets without a badge and of course
Sweet Revenge proved that the show still had some sparkle left, pity
really......

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13 out of 17 people found the following review useful:

Best TV show EVER!

I am 14 years old and Starsky and Hutch is my favourite show ever! It
is simply FANTASTIC! I love it. Paul Michael Glaser and David Soul have
amazing chemistry and are superb actors. The friendship between Starsky
and Hutch is wonderful as well and makes the show much more enjoyable
to watch.I don't think there has ever been a show before or since which
shows such a special and unique friendship- it is what separates it
from other cop shows-Starsky and Hutch is NOT about the car,or the guns
etc...in the end, it is all about the friendship.

Wonderful other characters- Huggy Bear, Dobey etc make it even better
and pull the show together. Other older shows have got old fashioned or
the acting is poor, but Starsky and Hutch is, I would say, a million
times better than TV shows on telly now. I am hoping that they do the
re-union with Paul and David- and so are hundreds and hundreds of other
fans! Starsky and Hutch rule forever!

Reliving The Past, Starsky and Hutch Season One

Watching archived episodes of Starsky and Hutch on hulutv has been a
real treat lately, especially since I was a regular viewer when the
original series started in 1975.

I noticed that producer/director/writer Michael Mann, ala Miami Vice,
wrote the first 4 episodes on Season 1.

The episodes had good plots, a variety of fine character actors that
played some of the bad guys, foxy girls, funky music background, an
original opening theme written by Lalo Schifrin and many other elements
that contributed it the show's success.

Fans of the show will always remember Starsky's leather jacket that
must have been worn by an ace WW11 fighter pilot and passed down from
generation until he probably found it cheap at the local thrift store
and Hutch's plaid shirts, khaki pants, the shoulder holsters that held
those 6 shooter cannon revolvers, the 2 cars and of course their
sometimes pimp but harmless snitch Huggy Bear.

I miss shows in today's TV cable world that's sporting almost 500
channels like the old days of dramatic, sometimes comedic cop shows
like S&H. I really had no desire to see the recent movie.

Watching episodes through the online link is really bringing back some
memories of decades past.

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9 out of 12 people found the following review useful:

Delirium

David Soul and Paul Michael Glaser were fabulous as the perennial
bachelors who took on an unorthodox approach to solving San Francisco's
most heinous crimes!! Drugs were a big part of this show, it depicted
the drawbacks to using drugs and illustrated the delirium that they put
many destitute walks of life into! Paul Michael Glaser was sensational
as the totally guy's guy detective!! His personality went beyond
likable, his role as Starsky was a big component in making this series
extremely entertaining!! David Soul was excellent as well, as the all
American detective Hutch, he definitely sparked an identifiability with
the television viewer!! The rest of the cast was realistically
portrayed in keeping with the time (the 1970's) that this show aired!!
The '2005 movie was more of a satire of the original series, and was
amusing more than anything else!! As a kid, I liked "Starsky and Hutch"
a lot and I am glad that it was a big part of my childhood television
viewing!! I give it a thumbs up!!

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6 out of 9 people found the following review useful:

With a makeup artist called Shotgun Britton, how could it fail?

The best cop show of the 70's and, with the exception of Kojak and the
Rockford Files, a jewel in a sea of studio-cloned crap. First with the
much-copied clichés of gruff captain and streetwise, all-knowing
snitch, it had pace, pathos and, of course, the Striped Tomato.

Until the Hill Street Blues ushered in a new style of cop show for the
eighties, Starsky and Hutch was the defining show of my teens and a
rollicking, unashamed express-ride through the polyestered,
bell-bottomed decade with two likable cops who are also best friends
and plenty of short-skirted, tight-jeaned girls. It also had the great
sense not to outlive its popularity.

We all had favourites (mine was Starsky) and we all tried to be as cool
as Huggy Bear (brilliantly played by Antonio Fargas)...and failed
miserably.

It has definitely dated down the years, but I have a copy on DVD and
still take it out now and again for a chuckle at what we used to look
like.

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5 out of 8 people found the following review useful:

Best Show in History

Law and Order? Bleeh. CSI? Naaah. Magnum PI? Nuh uh. Starsky and Hutch?
YEAH!! If you're looking for an AWESOME, ACTION PACKED show, this one
is definitely for you! Starsky and Hutch was the greatest show to come
from the 70s. I remember gathering around the TV set with my husband
and children, waiting for that classic theme to start and ready to see
that beautiful red torino come squealing onto the screen. My favorite
episode was and always will be The Las Vegas Strangler. There was just
something about Hutch's feelings towards his old high school buddy that
really drew me in. I loved how he wouldn't give up his belief that his
friend was indeed innocent despite Starsky's urging.

When I heard that there was going to be a Starsky and Hutch movie, I
was so excited. Seeing Paul Michael Glaser and David Soul reunited on
the big screen was going to be a treat, indeed! However, my dreams were
shattered when I learned that two young kids, Ben Stiller and Owen
Wilson, would be taking the parts of Starsky and Hutch, respectively.
Not only that but they got Snoop Doggy Dogg to play one of the finest
characters in the history of TV, Huggy Bear. An abomination! I admit
that I did go and see the film but I was highly disappointed. The
highlight was at the end when the original boys had their five second
cameo.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that the TV show is in a league of
its own and no remake or other cop show can possibly come close to its
greatness. Whether you be 19 or 99, you should certainly give this
classic a try. Look in the TV show section of your local movie rental
place, it should be there right after Sex in the City! Check it out!
You won't be disappointed!